Aggies rewarded as Manziel wins O'Brien, Joeckel captures Outland

Updated 11:26 pm, Thursday, December 6, 2012

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Johnny Manziel arrived Thursday night at the ESPN awards show with the adulation of a rock star.

The Texas A&M quarterback left with one national award and the promise of strong history on his side in his bid for the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.

Manziel won the Davey O'Brien Award, becoming the first player in Texas A&M history and first freshman to win the honor presented to the nation's top quarterback.

But he was nosed out for the Maxwell Award for best all-around player by Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who also claimed the Bednarik Award.

Manziel, who turned 20 on Thursday, said winning the O'Brien was a stunning achievement he never expected.

"It's unreal," Manziel said. "Just to win it with all of these other quarterbacks here is absolutely surreal to say the least."

It was a joyous 20th birthday for Manziel, an event that led fans to sing "Happy Birthday" as he arrived on the red carpet.

During his interview, Manziel was presented by ESPN with a birthday cake that was delivered by his teammate, tackle Luke Joeckel. Later, Joeckel made history by becoming the first A&M player to earn the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman.

"Getting a birthday cake from Luke and then the award, it doesn't get much better than that," Manziel said.

Five of the last six O'Brien winners also went on to capture the Heisman. But not winning the Maxwell Award might also serve Manziel well on Saturday night. Only two of the most recent 12 Maxwell winners have won the Heisman.

But Manziel said he's not worried about those trends or much else as he prepares for the Heisman presentation.

"If that's the way it's played out and that's a pattern, I guess it's good for me," Manziel said. "I'm just enjoying the process and looking forward to going to New York with a group of great guys."